Climate Advisers’ Post

While discussing climate change policies, it's crucial to prioritize all sectors, including agriculture. Unfortunately, it seems that agriculture often gets overlooked in policy drafting processes. As we work towards sustainability, it's imperative to recognize the significant role agriculture plays in both contributing to and mitigating climate change. Let's advocate for inclusive policies that address the unique challenges and opportunities within the agricultural sector. Together, we can foster a more resilient and environmentally conscious future. #ClimateAction #Agriculture #Sustainability 🚜🌿

What we need to do is downsize agribusiness. Ethanol is killing us. We really need to shrink the size of farms, move away from industrialized farming. Consolidation and scaling up are fine in IT, but it has hollowed out communities across the country and left farmers in debt as they either sell out or try to handle larger tracts of land with machinery, chemical fertilizer, and engineered crops. This has become an extraction of wealth from the local community. Better more farms, smaller farms, more resilient, return to rotating crops and get away from feeding cattle on corn (which they don't naturally eat, generating methane - more destructive than CO2). There is a lot of literature on this. It's happening in some places. But government policy doesn't favor small farms so far as I understand it.

Water use efficiency in food and energy production systems is among many other factors to sustain biodiversity, reduce human-wildlife conflicts and enhance human-wildlife coexistence in a changing climate.

Did you know 75% of our soils are already degraded? 🌍 Healthy soils are essential for ecosystems, agriculture, and climate regulation. To reverse this trend, we must aim for #LandDegradationNeutrality, preserving and enhancing soils to ensure they continue supporting life. 🌱🌿 Let’s work together to protect our soils and, by extension, our future. 🌍 United Nations FAO UNCCD Youth Caucus IUCN The World Bank #ClimateAction #Sustainability #SoilHealth #LandRestoration https://lnkd.in/dbC2eSkJ

Sustainable agriculture plays an important role in climate action.

it is also important to note what the micro climate in question is also in need of for better yield and crop quality.....

People often ask me why I only work in food. It’s simple: there’s plenty of important work to do. People also ask how my work (innovation) is a climate solution. That’s a little more complicated. It’s complicated because… People don’t see the connection between food and climate. People don’t see a problem with how we produce our food. People don’t think we need to change anything. People don’t see food innovation as a solution. Project Drawdown makes it all clear. “Nothing else we do rivals the sheer geographic size of the global food system…Together, croplands and grazing lands cover ~38% of the Earth’s land surface. To put this in perspective, all of the world’s cities and suburbs cover less than 1% of Earth’s land.” “The food system’s giant footprint makes it the largest driver of habitat and biodiversity loss on Earth. Nothing else comes close.” “The food system is also by far the biggest user of water on Earth, siphoning off around 70% of the world’s water withdrawals. This figure climbs to an astonishing ~85% if you consider ‘consumptive’ use… It is also the most pronounced water polluter worldwide, mainly due to fertilizer runoff…” “If we consider the larger food system...the total emissions from the food system rise to ~34%. That makes food the single largest emitting economic sector – larger than power generation, industry, transportation, or buildings.” What are the most important solutions to these problems? 1. Improving Food System Efficiency - reduce food loss & food waste - reduce red meat & dairy consumption 2. Protecting Ecosystems - curb deforestation & protect vital ecosystems - shift away from beef, soy, and palm oil - improve carbon markets (which overpromise & underdeliver) 3. Improving Farming Methods - improve fertilizer management (use less, more precisely) - improve soil management (by regenerating degraded land) - reduce methane emissions (from rice & livestock) 4. Cleaning Up The Larger Food System - reduce methane emissions from landfills (i.e. cut food waste) - implement clean cooking worldwide - improve refrigerant management (incl. food shipping) 5. Rewilding Agricultural Lands - restore former agricultural land to natural ecosystems - ex. forests, savannas, grasslands, coastal ecosystems 6. Implementing Regenerative Agricultural Practices - ex. cover crops, permaculture, agroecology, conservation farms - but don’t see it as a silver bullet because… - the most effective solution is to cut emissions at the source And that takes us right back to food innovation. Sometimes it’s a simple ingredient swap. Sometimes it’s designing a new product from scratch. Sometimes it’s stretching a brand into a new category. Sometimes it’s about disrupting unsustainable incumbents. Sometimes it’s about scaling good brands who care about this. It’s all food innovation. It’s all a climate solution. It’s all urgently important. And it’s why I only work in food. #food #innovation #sustainability

To address climate change first we need sustainable food systems.

Absolutely, aligning with Magi Richani's perspective is crucial. Addressing climate change and crafting sustainable food systems demand that we put farmers at the forefront. They are the stewards of our land and possess invaluable insights into the practicalities of agriculture. By actively listening to them and developing innovative tools and techniques, we can empower farmers to cultivate crops that are both sustainable and resilient. This approach not only supports our farmers but also ensures a healthier planet for future generations. Farming is life. 🙏